She was a founding female general of the Tang dynasty, who fought on the battlefield alongside her father and brothers and was betrothed to the great general Chai Shao. The Li dynasty gradually grew secure.
But the struggle between the Li brothers grew ever fiercer, and internal conflicts intensified. Li Yuan was growing older and increasingly ambitious, while the harem was rife with criticism.
Li Xiuning could neither inherit her father's command nor soothe Shimin's heart. The fragile, melancholy side of her began to resurface. Miserable and unwilling to be drawn into her brothers' political struggle, she volunteered to leave Chang'an.
Li Xiuning was no longer the same woman she had been. When he saw her again, she seemed so unfamiliar to him that all they could manage was a brief smile.
With the fate of the realm weighing on her mind, Li Xiuning wore a troubled expression. She practiced martial arts late at night and drank when no one was around, yet she could not bear to let her younger brother, Li Shimin, fall victim to treacherous men. She resolved to help him in secret, offering advice and making plans.
Niangzi Pass was a strategic stronghold coveted by both sides. During a later rebellion, Li Jiancheng knew Xiuning belonged to Li Shimin's faction, so he secretly allied with enemy forces and sent assassins after her. Open attacks could be dodged, but hidden ones were hard to guard against. By the time everyone arrived, Xiuning had been killed.
At her funeral, forty men led the procession, carrying feathered canopies, drums, a grand carriage, banners, and ceremonial swords, followed by armored imperial guards. The soldiers clutched one another and wept. Chai Shao remained alone for the rest of his life and never remarried.
Mu Qing reported back to his sect, only to be turned away at the door. After kneeling outside for three days and nights, he left with a wild laugh. From then on, he attained the state of, "With wine, I roam in bliss; without it, I am still mad."
Theme: This drama tells the story of Princess Pingyang, who grew from an innocent, romantic girl into an independent woman amid the chaos of war. With extraordinary courage and insight, she displayed her exceptional political talent through a series of conflicts and battles, becoming a great female general by the time Li Yuan captured Chang'an.
